<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The obverse by imladrissun</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542046">The obverse</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/imladrissun/pseuds/imladrissun'>imladrissun</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:48:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,526</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25542046</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/imladrissun/pseuds/imladrissun</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After the bank vault, Eobard's life changes for good.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Damien Darhk/Malcolm Merlyn, Damien Darhk/Malcolm Merlyn/Eobard Thawne, Malcolm Merlyn/Eobard Thawne</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story is set after the bank vault -- so Eobard has escaped the Black Flash for now with the help of Malcolm and Damien. The rest of the canon is not involved here. This is a 'kinder, gentler' look at the three of them, despite their villainy in general. </p><p>This story is also obviously inspired by the great series 'The Series (of Doom)' by Freedoms_Champion.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eobard has never had help before. It feels weird. Damien keeps him grounded in his own crazy way, while Malcolm is so many things. At first he's an annoyance, saying the most idiotic things, raising his blood pressure exponentially, and then... He's someone oddly comforting. He cooks food for the three of them and buys groceries; stocking the kitchen is actually nice of him. He makes what Eobard asks him to, and doesn't hold it over him. </p><p>Speedsters need huge amounts of food, and Eobard misses the pills from the future that contain mega-doses of fats, protein, vitamins and carbs [he specialized them for himself but ran out of them a long time ago.] He prefers real food, and it has to contain beef most of the time, as anything else is tasteless and beneath him. Obviously. He tries to explain it to Damien and Malcolm, but they are nonplussed at him.</p><p>It gets almost domestic, with Damien calmly helping him build new plans to fix his Black Flash problem [and Malcolm helping by unintentionally pointing out the fatal flaws in those plans with random, ill-timed comments that he doesn't even grasp the import of.]</p><p>The lair becomes less of a sterile HQ and more of an erratically decorated place. There's a lot of eelskin items and fur carpets for some reason. Damien's hand at work, strangely enough. </p><p>And instead of drinking protein shakes when he doesn't have time [or feel safe enough from the Black Flash] to get burgers, he gets actual meals. And they all have beef because Malcolm cared enough to listen to his preference and put it into action. Damien always requests odd foods, but he just makes them on the side and keeps normal food for Eobard as the focus. Having fresh food has a weird soothing effect on him; he's aware of it but doesn't understand it. </p><p>Malcom makes huge amounts of food at once so he actually has enough to eat all the time. He knows it's spoiling him. It will be terrible when this is over and he's alone again. It's getting to the point where he almost doesn't want it to end, which is silly. He's fine alone, he will be fine. It will be great. More silence, more time to plan. More weeks of only those disgusting protein shakes, he thinks, tinged with some unfamiliar feeling. It doesn't sound as great as it did at first. </p><p>He feels more like himself as just plain Eobard than the fearsome, murderous, rage filled Reverse Flash. </p><p>He doesn't think of Barry often, if at all. It's a weird feeling, after a lifetime of obsession. Instead, he has no time to think of anything other than what's on the docket currently: their recent plans and research to fix his existence problem, following up on other leads, reigning in Damien's casual murderousness [he didn't think anyone was more aggressive than himself, but he's since learned], and dealing with Malcolm. </p><p>Malcolm constantly talks to him. Sometimes he even says things that aren't stupid, but unfortunately that's only when he's talking about personal things. Eobard prefers it when he sticks to science, so he can correct him. He calls him 'Eo' once, and doesn't again after he asks Malcolm to stop. </p><p>Hearing him and Damien use sobriquets for each other makes him hesitate, and almost wish he could take that back. He likes that he stopped when he asked, though. Malcolm shows respect in weird ways. His time period and culture is just odd. He doesn't usually seem afraid of him, which is nonsense. </p><p>Damien covers the whole lair with lasers after their Black Flash encounter. Malcolm has an odd den of things that he doesn't investigate. It has a foreign energy, almost, and Eobard is loath to disturb their current equilibrium. For once. He wants to run and be able to come back to somewhere in particular. Malcolm insists on having him watch certain movies and listen to music he's picked out; it's beyond a chore. But he makes himself do it, with copious bitching and whining, of course. </p><p>He hates feeling like he owes people, but it doesn't seem so transactional now. At least the two of them aren't demanding he reciprocate. They only insist he be a full partner to them. He's shocked that they sleep together, almost puritanical in his kneejerk reaction. He can tell they don't get it -- it's not the behavior, it's them. Them! And they both give him looks. He makes excuses to rush off sometimes on meaningless, unneeded errands. He's afraid of them at first, at those eyes: either icy and piercing, passionate, or Malcom's slow looks that say it all. No words needed. He stops being afraid of them and more afraid of his own thoughts. They have an effect on him that he can't control.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Eobard doesn't know what to say when he meets Thea. Damien is unfortunately out doing whatever it is he means by 'errands.' </p><p>She looks at him with silent eyes, not asking anything but not uncurious. Eobard's never been decent at social situations when he's truly being himself... or decent at all in any regard, really. But he can't upset Malcolm by being impolite to his progeny. Malcolm is very family-oriented, the 'good' one of the three of them. Damien's the brawn, he himself is the brains and Malcolm obviously the heart. </p><p>Everyone is working on a plan to take out some other supervillains in Star City--heroes and villains alike. Eobard doesn't like other people on his turf, and since Malcolm keeps visiting his little office in Star City, that counts as it. While being on the run with Eobard he's somehow created an entirely new company that's extremely successful. Eobard is the only one who's not surprised.</p><p>Oliver, Barry, and assorted sundry are all at the meeting. Oliver is spending his time trying to get Malcolm to help him with his company's books; other than being emotional, charming and having a lot of unexplainable charisma, Malcolm's main talent is business. He could sell anything -- even magic or air -- and people would buy it. </p><p>Eobard half-heartedly eyes Barry from across the room but really he's not into it. Barry keeps looking at him all concerned anyway, but it's not fear, it's civil concern. The worst kind. He resents it but doesn't care enough to do anything. The group is mainly including him because they want someone on hand to murder a few people if things get ugly. This is a rare time when even the good guys want to kill their enemies. </p><p>It's okay, he likes feeling appreciated.</p><p>Malcolm goes off to work on some business stuff, but Eobard is suspicious -- it's not following someone if they lo-- like you, right? "What are you doing?" he demands, from behind him, and Malcolm jumps, turning to glare at him. </p><p>He doesn't feel like he's overstepping on this. Recently he's felt closer to both of them, but especially Malcolm. He is usually unable to sleep due to his powers, and had actually yearned for it once in a while with no avail. A while ago he found the solution by accident -- and it's increased his speed, which makes him very, very happy. He's so much faster than Barry now that that stupid, annoying boy isn't even a little bit of a threat. </p><p>Malcolm and he have a strange relationship. Malcolm is the only one who sleeps every day in their group. But he does like to lay next to Malcolm while he does. And before he goes to sleep he'll touch his arm, hold his hand. It's all he can handle, and thankfully Malcolm doesn't push for more. Damien needs much less sleep than Malcolm does, so they are usually alone in this. </p><p>Gentle togetherness eventually turns into a little bit of a massage, and then a real massage, and then Malcolm cracks his neck on purpose. Eobard's healing factor means they can crack his neck [and everything else] all the time without worrying about any risk of stroke or hurting his neck. [He won't let Malcolm do it, and regularly tells him so; they can't risk his health even the slightest amount, he's so fragile and mortal.] </p><p>It's almost a religious experience. The first one is a side twist to his neck and he has no idea how shocking it feels--momentary pain followed by intense euphoria and pure relief flooding his body. It's better than the drugs he remembers trying in his youth. And he's never been into the pleasures of the flesh.</p><p>He is now.</p><p>He reads up on it all and get Malcolm to pull his neck a little upwards; it's pure heaven in a moment. And for the first time since getting powers, he falls asleep without even realizing what's happening. When he wakes up he feels like he's refreshed and able to think deeply on another level. He finally gets why Damien is so into love-making, as he unironically calls it, to Eobard's chagrin. Malcolm just looks amused. For the first time he thinks he has something to lose, and it's an uncomfortable realization.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>